Food Shortages Drive Mass Starvation of Endangered African Penguins, Study Finds

Endangered African penguins living off the coast of South Africa have likely suffered mass starvation due to severe food shortages, according to a recent scientific study, with some populations declining by as much as 95 percent in just eight years. Researchers estimate that fewer than 10,000 breeding pairs of the small black-and-white penguin remain worldwide, placing the species at serious risk of extinction. The International Union for Conservation of Nature listed the African penguin as critically endangered last year amid rapidly falling numbers.

The study, conducted by the University of Exeter in the United Kingdom in collaboration with South Africa’s Department of Forestry, Fisheries and the Environment, found that two major breeding colonies near Cape Town collapsed between 2004 and 2011. During this period, an estimated 62,000 penguins are believed to have died. Scientists linked the dramatic decline to a sharp reduction in sardine populations, which are a primary food source for African penguins. Sardine stocks in South African waters remained below 25 percent of their peak levels throughout the eight-year period analyzed.

According to biologist and co-author Richard Sherley, the collapse in sardine numbers was driven by a combination of intensive fishing practices and environmental factors, including changes in water temperature and salinity. These conditions appear to have caused prolonged food scarcity for penguins, leading to widespread starvation and a massive loss of breeding individuals. Overall, researchers say the global African penguin population has dropped by nearly 80 percent over the past three decades.

Conservation experts warn that if the current rate of decline continues, African penguins could become extinct in the wild by 2035. In response, authorities have imposed commercial fishing bans around several key penguin colonies, including Robben Island and Dassen Island, which were among the sites examined in the study. These fishing restrictions have been in place for about a decade, alongside other conservation efforts such as installing artificial nests and establishing new breeding colonies.

African penguins remain a major tourist attraction in South Africa, drawing thousands of visitors to coastal colonies each year. However, conservationists caution that increased tourism can also disturb the birds and elevate stress levels, adding further pressure to an already fragile species struggling to survive.